King Richard's Faire returns to Carver for its 33rd season

Thursday

Aug 28, 2014 at 7:30 AM

The seven-week King Richards' Faire transports visitors to the 16th century and offers an array of performers, artisans, hand-cranked rides, knife-throwing booths, animal attractions, and the ever-popular jousting tournaments.

By Dana BarbutoFor The Patriot Ledger

You can get your fill of well-endowed wenches and jousting knights knocking the daylights out of each other at the annual King Richard’s Faire, Saturday through Oct. 19.

“It’s my favorite time of year in Carvershire,” said Carver resident Tom Epstein, in character – British accent and all – as King Richard. This will be Epstein’s 21st year playing the saucy royal.

“You’re lucky, I don’t normally answer my own phone,” the king said. “I’m usually too busy doing that governing thing.”

A popular highlight of the faire – now in its 33rd season – is the Cleavage Contest on Saturday, Sept. 6. “I don’t actually attend the event on an official basis,” the king demurs ... “Though, sometimes I stay at the back. It’s nice to see people taking pride in their accomplishments.”

If the cleavage contest sounds like a bust, then there’s the Men in Kilts/Ladies in Bloomers contest on Sunday, Oct. 5, or Daniel Duke of Danger performing feats of balance. “He’s a gentleman of my age who can stand on his head. He’s a remarkable physical specimen,” the king said.

A favorite festivity of the king are the ever-popular jousting tournaments. King Richard presides at the 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. tilts.

“We have three jousts every day and usually by 5:30 they’re in such a lather that it’s a joust to the death,” King Richard said. “Fortunately, we have such hearty knights, they don’t actually die.”

The seven-week King Richards’ Faire transports visitors to the 16th century and offers an array of performers, artisans, hand-cranked rides, knife-throwing booths, animal attractions, such as Hercules the rare liger, and period food and drink (think: bloomin’ onions and yards of beer).

“We have those gigantic mutant turkey legs. Those are delicious,” King Richard said. “Also try peasant bread, which some people call fried dough. And, the bloomin’ onions! I once went to a party and we bobbed for bloomin’ onions.”

Bonnie Shapiro and her late husband, Richard, brought the Renaissance-themed faire to Carver in 1981. Spread over 80-acres, it’s run by Bonnie and her daughter, Aimee Shapiro Sedley. Bonnie Shapiro was the faire’s first queen. Jasmine Ready-Shultz from Winchendon is this year’s queen.

Pint-sized fairgoers can attend a princess academy, puppet shows, a knighting school, and other kid-friendly entertainment. “Some of my guards and knights teach about proper comportment of knights and the history of chivalry,” King Richard said. “I hold a Knighting Ceremony and we do Knights and Ladies of the Realm.”

“Last year we had 14 Daenerys Targaryens,” King Richard said about the crowd-pleasing “Thrones” queen. “And, three of them were men.”

A “Game of Thrones” costume and trivia contest is on tap for Saturday, Sept. 27. Other highlights at the Faire include the Washing Well Wenches, a comedy act performing on one of the faire’s eight stages, a magic show, sword fighting and the comedy “50 Shades of Greymarsh.”

Dana Barbuto may be reached at dbarbuto@ledger.com or follow her on Twitter @dbarbuto_Ledger.